Employees of United Bulgarian Bank (UBB), part of the KBC Group in Bulgaria, jointly with lecturers and students at the Agricultural University in Plovdiv town have planted 250 apple trees of the traditional Bulgarian variety named “Karastoyanka”. The joint project of the university and the Bank is the first step in a long-term programme for the recovery and cultivation of traditional local varieties – a concept that is gaining more and more ground throughout Europe.

„With the realization of this project we showcase in practice how by combining scientific potential and the resource of a sustainable Corporate Social Responsibility Programme, such as the one of UBB, we can create solid opportunities for the development of the Bulgarian agriculture. The planting of the first trees of the Karastoyanka variety marks the beginning of a long-term initiative with added value for society and contribution to the harmony with nature. Our expectations are the recovered apple variety to be received with increased interest from both consumers and producers.“, shared Aleksandar Peev, General Manager Corporate Social Responsibility at KBC Group Bulgaria.

Associate Professor Sava Tabakov, PhD, Dean of the Horticulture and Viticulture faculty at the Agricultural University in Plovdiv, being the Project Leader, explained that the choice of this variety was not by coincidence, as it had excellent taste and aroma qualities, as well as substantial potential to once again conquer its deserved place on the market. In his words, while following the example of leading European countries, such as Italy, Germany, Great Britain, plans were to impose a sustainable local product to be present in the commercial network as bearer of 100% Bulgarian taste.

Karastoyanka is one of the oldest apple varieties in Bulgaria, famous for its viability, specific taste and good fruit preservation capacity. Nowadays it is rarely found, predominantly in old gardens, which renders its recovery a key one for the protection of agricultural biodiversity. The volunteering activity of the UBB employees that the Bank develops and enriches on an annual basis has now also rewarded itself with a garden of fruit-bearing trees.

The initiatives for planting of forests and protecting water resources are part of the programme for sustainable development and protection of the environment and the biodiversity in Bulgaria, which the KBC Group entities in Bulgaria are implementing in a consistent and large-scale manner. The Blue Forest already has honey-bearing trees, fruit-bearing trees, coniferous and deciduous tree varieties, as the geographical area has been constantly expanding to include new mountains and regions. What is specific about the reforestation programmes of UBB is that they do not end with planting the saplings, but continue with subsequent maintenance and care, to enable the new forest areas to grow full of vitality and in adequate proportions.